"No."
After Vogel suggested his idea, Mallos flatly rejected it.
"It's too risky to snipe him now."
Vogel frowned.
"You were the one who suggested it first, and now you're changing your mind?"
Mallos shook his head.
"Now he has a legitimate reason to ask His Highness to witness the duel in the name of revenge."
Vogel scoffed in disdain.
"Legitimate my ass."
In front of them, Thales was still staring fixedly at the hostage Anker. His thoughts were in a mess.
What to do?
Reject him, allow him, kill him, convince him …
What a mess.
"Byrael!"
In the hall, Count Godwin, who was in charge of communication, was furious.
"You've crossed the line! Playing to the gallery and coercing His Highness, how is this the conduct of a gentleman and a subject? "
But Anker was clearly prepared. He did not flinch and turned back.
"Don't tell me that as a citizen of Constellation, doesn't everyone have the right to appeal to our supreme king?"
The force of his grip made the old baron groan in pain again.
"Isn't it every king's duty to listen to the sincere voice of every citizen?"
Anker's words resounded in the hall. Not only did it make Thales' frown deepen, it also made the already uneasy guests even more agitated.
Count Godwin was speechless for a moment, unable to find a rebuttal — whether it was "appeal" or "king", the trap formed by these words was too obvious and too dangerous.
Mallos ignored the situation in the hall. As calm as ever, he continued to communicate with the vice-captain in a low voice.
"If we make the first move, the one at fault is His Highness Thales. It's a cowardly, incompetent, and despicable act of silencing — at his Mindis Hall, at his banquet."
Vogel thought for a moment and said decisively,
"The guards can bear the responsibility, you and I.
"If necessary, we'll resign and have nothing to do with anyone else."
But Mallos shook his head.
"Do you think people will care?"
His words were meaningful.
"The royal guards. The focus is always on the royal family, not the guards."
Listening to the conversation between the two guard commanders, Thales' heart grew heavier.
What to do?
"Your Highness Thales!"
Anker turned around and looked expectantly at the person standing the highest.
"Justice is at hand, waiting for your command."
"How dare you!"
His aggressiveness once again drew Godwin's rebuke, but Anker ignored it and continued to stare at Thales.
It was like he was staring at his prey.
"Refuse him, Your Highness."
Vogel said softly from behind Thales with an angry expression on his face.
"Lord of the Stars, the dignity of the royal family cannot be threatened."
Thales instinctively opened his mouth, but Mallos' voice came from the other side.
"And then force him to kill the baron?"
"Turning His Highness into a cold-blooded bystander, a conniver of murder?"
"Don't forget, those are the Seven Jadestar Attendants who serve the royal family."
Thales' teeth immediately felt as if they weighed a thousand pounds, and he could not make a sound.
Vogel immediately retorted.
"Even so, we can't encourage the barbaric practice of 'duels to the death'! His Highness being tainted by the influence of the Northern Region is secondary, but if the kingdom has an effective imitation in the future … "
Count Godwin and Anker's loud rebuke, Mallos and Vogel's low bickering, the back and forth debates among the guests, countless voices entered Thales' perceptual range through hell's senses, shaking his consciousness and attacking his spirit.
He, who had already experienced a night of torture at the banquet, was exhausted.
Mallos' voice continued, calm and indifferent as he refuted Vogel.
"No matter how vile and backward this custom is, it is also His Highness' method of resisting King Nuven. It has become a legend, a symbol. To deny it now …"
That was a misunderstanding.
Thales was mentally and physically exhausted, his face expressionless.
Back then, he was just, just scaring the Northland barbarians, but Nuven never … Why does it seem like he really fought the Born King? "
Thales sighed heavily in his heart.
Back then, why did he challenge King Nuven to a duel?
God knows how much he regretted it.
Also, who was the one who spread this news?
Back then in the Hall of Heroes, were the Eckstedt archdukes present so tight-lipped?
There was a small commotion among the guards: Doyle's expression was twisted as he dragged Glover's shackles and squeezed in front of the two officers.
"Please let me duel him, Your Highness, Sir."
Doyle held Glover down, suppressed his emotions, and stared at the enemy who held his father hostage.
"I can kill him fair and square — this is just a grudge between two families."
Doyle looked anxious, expectant and nervous.
Vogel snorted disdainfully.
Thales' expression was gloomy.
"Then you'll be playing right into that guy's hands."
Mallos shook his head.
"Byrael died in a glorious duel to avenge his father. What happened to him will be remembered and forgiven to the greatest extent. No one will remember his illegal actions and ulterior motives.
"His Highness and the royal family will be forced to the teeth of the storm, and be accused of abusing power and disregarding human life."
In the hall, Anker calmly and clearly refuted Count Godwin's rebuke. Baron Doyle trembled under his sword. The audience's discussions rose one after another, becoming increasingly restless.
Doyle clenched his teeth.
Mallos' tone became more solemn.
"And he's just someone's tool, a chess piece on the table."
Chess piece.
"My child, be strong.
"Don't become a chess piece that can be manipulated and sacrificed at will."
Fakenhaz's words came to mind. Thales tightened the muscles on his arms.
"As for the people below the stage, the hands behind the scenes …"
Mallos kept the following words in his heart.
Perhaps they would take advantage of Byrael's death to exaggerate this originally contractual dispute case and elevate it to an unprecedented level — such as the rule of the kingdom.
Doyle and Byrael.
How many similar cases could there be in the entire kingdom?
How many different situations were there?
How many more examples with similarities and differences that could be used as reference?
Mallos' gaze froze.
No, it would be given a different meaning and become the fuse for a series of political storms …
"But, Mallos …" Thales tried hard to ignore the countless gazes cast on him. He turned his head sideways and spoke softly. His words were tired.
He turned his head and spoke softly, his words weary, "He's just someone who was forced by the situation to take a risk and stake everything on one throw."
Mallos looked at Anker's burning gaze and narrowed his eyes.
"So he's stubborn and dangerous,
"More so than the people behind him."
The watchman said gloomily,
"He's a good chess piece.
"A good sword."
Good chess piece.
Thales did not answer. He just closed his eyes, feeling even more exhausted.
"Your Highness!"
Anker grew impatient. His urging voice drowned out Count Godwin's rebuke.
"What's making you hesitate?"
The offender of the Byrael family took a step forward. While the surrounding guards grew increasingly nervous, he raised the short sword in his hand and pointed it straight at the Duke of Star Lake on the steps!
"Hesitation towards justice, or confusion towards the Empire's traditions?"
Anker glared at Doyle, who was beside Thales.
"Or is it that you would rather protect your vassals and your personal guards because you are not close to them?"
Doyle's expression changed. Anger surged.
"Is there no other way?"
Doyle's fists were trembling. Glover had no choice but to hold him back.
"Just let this bastard spout nonsense here, hurt my father, tarnish His Highness' reputation …"
"The best way is to strengthen the investigation beforehand and suppress the storm," Mallos said solemnly.
"Make sure this guy can't speak.
"Let the guards keep this matter out of the hall. Make it non-existent — whether it's this case or the assassination or kidnapping."
Vogel's expression grew uglier, while Doyle grew more anxious.
"Your Highness …"
The guests' discussion reached a climax once again, with no shortage of heated arguments.
Many angrily rebuked Anker's disrespectful behavior, but the son of the Byrael family was unfazed. He either stood still or raised his voice to refute.
Thales breathed in a daze. He felt the nails in his palms prick more and more painfully.
At this moment.
"I've thought of it."
Mallos spoke in a low voice, attracting the attention of the guards.
"There's another way.
"It can save the baron's life, and also solve the predicament."
Vogel and Thales turned to look at him.
But Mallos turned to Doyle instead.
"Prepare for the duel, Doyle."
Doyle responded instinctively, but was startled when he came to his senses.
"Yes — Sir?"
Mallos' expression was as indifferent as ever, but his tone gradually turned solemn.
"But, Vanguard Danny Doyle."
He rarely called Doyle by his full name, which made the latter nervous.
"Listen carefully."
The next moment, the watchman's words caused everyone's expression to change.
"You're going to die."
Thales was stunned.
Vogel and the guards around him were equally stunned.
What?
"This duel," Mallos said calmly, but his gaze was fixed on Doyle.
"You must …
"Die by his hands."
Thales reacted with a jolt.
He was not the only one who reacted this way.
"What?" Vogel looked at the watchman in disbelief.
"The opponent wants to use public anger to create trouble, so we'll return the favor."
Mallos calmly turned around, not looking at Doyle, who was rooted to the ground and in a daze.
"Doyle accepted the duel, but was killed by his opponent — this way, regardless of the reason, the Byrael family is naturally in the wrong for causing a disturbance at the banquet, using foreign evil methods to brutally kill their own countrymen. Everyone will only remember your family's humiliation, and His Highness Thales being forced to do so.
"After the incident, the royal family can act as the mediator to uphold justice, occupy the moral high ground, and quell the fallout."
Under everyone's astonished gaze, Mallos was nonchalant as he recounted his terrifying proposal.
"His Highness doesn't know about it. He is impartial."
"Doyle did not evade responsibility and took it upon himself.
"End of story."
There was silence among the guards.
"Die …" Doyle stood rooted to the ground, unable to regain his senses.
Only Vogel got over his initial shock and frowned in doubt.
"But this way, the Doyle family …"
"The son fought for his father with honor, died in the duel, and preserved the royal family's reputation," Mallos stared at the old baron who collapsed on the ground.
"The father shirked his responsibility and died of murder, causing the kingdom to descend into chaos.
"This concerns the bigger picture. They know what to choose."
Thales saw Doyle tremble slightly, and he looked absent-minded.
It was as if the former Doyle had disappeared.
"No," Thales said subconsciously.
"There must be a better way …"
But at this moment, neither Vogel nor Mallos seemed to care about what he said.
"But after that," Vogel folded his arms, as if seriously considering the possibilities and pros and cons of this solution,
"The Seven Jadestar Attendants, their attitude towards the royal family …"
Doyle raised his head in a daze.
"There are pros and cons, but that's not something you and I can comment on. It's the consideration of His Majesty and the lords at the Imperial Conference," Mallos said calmly.
It was exactly the same as the day Thales returned to Eternal Star City and "suggested" for him to stay in the carriage.
"In the game of chess, Byrael is just a pawn, the Seven Jadestar Attendants are also pawns, you and I are also pawns.
"We can only choose the path with the least losses."
Thales froze in a daze.
Pawns.
Pawns again.
Pawns at the mercy of others.
"Is it worth it?" Thales asked softly.
But Mallos was still discussing with Vogel and did not notice him.
"So, Vanguard Doyle, how much do you want to save your father's life, save your family, save His Highness from his current predicament?"
Vogel asked the speechless Doyle softly — this was the first time he faced Doyle directly and addressed him by his name and title.
Doyle shuddered again!
But Vogel pressed on.
"So much so that you're willing to die for it?"
Doyle looked up. His tone was terrified and his breathing was rapid and uneasy.
"I, I …"
No one knew what he was going to say.
"That guy's positioning is lax," Glover suddenly said.
"Sir, let me circle to the back. I'm confident I can kill him with one strike …"
Doyle looked at his partner, color returning to his eyes.
But Mallos calmly interrupted them.
"This is the only way.
"Someone has set up an unsolvable game of chess, and we can only make the most rational and concise choice."
The watchman looked at the absent-minded Doyle.
"Sacrifice the pawn."
He then looked at the incredulous Thales.
"Protect the king."
The guards fell silent again.
Thales closed his eyes and unclenched his fists.
Sacrifice the pawn.
Protect the king.
Who's the pawn.
Who's the king?
But in the hall, Anker was clearly tired of Count Godwin and the rest's pestering and did not want to drag on any longer, "Your Highness —"
"Is it worth it!"
Thales opened his eyes abruptly and interrupted him loudly!
The Duke of Star Lake spoke angrily, drawing the hall's attention back to him.
"Is it worth it?"
The Duke of Star Lake took a step forward and looked at the troublemaker at his banquet with a complicated gaze. His tone was full of double indignation and injustice.
"Anker Byrael!
"No matter who instigated you, are they and their schemes worth it for you to willingly become a pawn and exchange your life for it?"
Anker was stunned for a moment.
Not only him, but the guards were also stunned for a moment.
A few seconds later, the hostage-taker laughed out loud.
"Instigated?"
Anker first glanced hatefully at the disheveled old baron, then said coldly,
"You don't believe it, do you?"
"Whenever something like this happens, you think it's a political conspiracy, an ulterior motive, a scheme of interests," Anker sneered and pointed his short sword at the crowd around him, causing a commotion among the guests.
"Just like most of the arrogant, indifferent, cold-blooded, ignorant, self-righteous, and hypocritical fools who think they're smart, self-righteous yet selfish, hypocritical, look on from the sidelines."
Thales furrowed his brows.
"'Why bother, there's always another way,' they say, 'Ulterior motives, attention seeking' they also say, 'This isn't that simple, it must be a conspiracy,' they still say.
"Just like you now."
Anker said bleakly,
"You don't believe what I've done. It's already the last and most desperate choice of me, a man of flesh and blood."
For a moment, Thales thought he understood the meaning in Anker's eyes.
But this feeling quickly drifted away, and Anker's gaze became unfamiliar again.
Thales was silent for a moment.
"Then where did you get your weapon?"
The prince said in a low voice,
"The banquet's security is very strict. You couldn't have brought it in alone."
Anker was stunned.
He looked at the short sword in his hand, smiled sheepishly at first, then his gaze turned cold.
"For those who have suffered injustice and have no way out, Your Highness," Anker Byrael looked at Thales again, his tone sad but determined,
"Weapons of resistance are everywhere."
"Within reach."
He ignored Count Godwin's furious roar and pressed the blade against the baron's neck again.
"Your Highness, make a choice for me — murder, or duel?"
Thales gulped.
Doyle's expression tensed. His dazed eyes regained focus, reflecting the struggle within.
Mallos' gaze fell on Thales from the side.
But it was more lethal than anyone else's gaze in the hall at that moment.
Sacrificing a pawn.
Protecting the king?
Anker, Doyle, and Mallos all focused their gazes on him.
And Thales felt his mouth go dry.
But in the next second, another high-pitched and shrill female voice cut through the air.
"Bullsh * t choice!
"Bullsh * t Byrael!"
Everyone was shocked. They turned to look and found that it was Baroness Doyle, who had struggled free from the crowd and was in a sorry state but had a fierce expression on her face.
Her breathing was shaky, her heavy makeup had long been ruined, and her gorgeous clothes were in disarray. But she still gritted her teeth and raised her finger, pointing at the hostage-taker.
"You little brat who's still wet behind the ears! What else do you know, other than playing around with swords and debauchery in some broken tower thousands of miles away!
"Don't you know what kind of scum your father is!"
Anker was stunned, and then frowned.
Like a person who had been struck by extreme fear, the baroness' expression contorted.
"Before I married into the Doyle family, my ex-husband was a merchant from Crow Caw City. I know better than anyone — what kind of filth your father is!
"Byrael! Ha, that son of a b * tch! He was a first-class scoundrel knight when he was young, frivolous and vain, even resorting to trickery in a knight's tournament! "
The baroness' expression was full of contempt and disgust.
"Ambitious, headstrong, short-sighted, and insatiable!"
"If not for his dogsh * t luck of having four cousins and two brothers all dead after the Bloody Year, how could he have been the Baron of Crow Caw City!"
Anker was taken aback and did not know how to react.
"You …"
"As a suzerain, your father only knows how to levy taxes and drain the goose that lays the golden eggs! Under his rule, Crow Caw City's labor period was extended, taxes and fees were added, but the punishments were harsh and never forgiven! As a result, industries withered, the people were resentful, the bureaucracy was corrupt, and bribery was rampant! "
Anker was exasperated.
"No, he …"
But the baroness was obviously furious, and did not give him a chance to speak.
"Other things aside, just look at how unrepentant he was when he was in financial difficulties. He insisted on building up his military force, borrowing money for expeditions, and sacrificed countless lives … just to risk his life in the desert, to make a fortune, to fight for glory?
"Isn't it clear enough?"
Lady Doyle spoke until her hair was disheveled and she was panting.
But her sharp voice became smoother, and Thales could even hear a hint of a Western Desert bumpkin accent that was obviously cultivated since childhood.
"In Crow Caw City, from the officials to the farmers, from the merchants to the craftsmen, everyone hated your father, hated him to the core!
"Every year, every month, the destitute, depressed, and overwhelmed people gathered in the mountains and engaged in robberies, causing endless harm to the surrounding areas. From the local townspeople to the Mirror River across the river, everyone suffered. My ex-husband died among them!"
"Not to mention the countless refugees who abandoned the wastelands every year and smuggled across the Mirror River to other lands, including the Doyle family's territory, just to eat and wear new clothes!"
In the hall, everyone's attention was attracted by the baroness' words. Shock and discussion swept through the crowd.
"After I remarried, your father even shamelessly asked the suzerains of the Mirror River District for the refugees' 'redemption fee'! The baron, my current husband, could only occasionally give him money to satisfy his appetite, and occasionally placate the refugees to return to farming to prevent the increase of robbers from endangering the surrounding areas. And this is what you call bullsh * t renting a house in a different place! "
Anker was shocked and furious, and was momentarily speechless.
"Mortgaging land in a contract? Damn it, do you think any noble with integrity in the entire kingdom would mortgage their ancestral fiefdom and population for money without blinking an eye? Do you think the Doyles are the only ones who have lent your father money all these years?! "
"Whether it's merchants, nobles, knights, or officials, once the repayment period is up, he'll use the nobility's laws to act shamelessly, threatening to sue the creditors for 'murdering nobles and privately granting land' — he's much more experienced than you in this kind of bullying, treacherous, shameless, and despicable act!"
Anker gripped his sword, trembling. His face turned pale amidst the discussion.
The baroness shouted indignantly.
"In the face of such a shameless suzerain, the Byrael vassals were divided, but dared not voice their anger. How much do you think the Baron of Mirror River is like a saint, how generous he must be to make them cry to the heavens and desperately seek refuge with him?"
"In order to escape your father, in order to survive, and even more so for the next generation of children, the people of Crow Caw City thought of ways to survive, and privately banded together to overcome the difficulties. What's wrong with that?"
Under the astonished gazes of the crowd, the baroness gritted her teeth and continued.
"And we, the Doyles, are generous and generous. On account of generations of neighbors and kinship, we rent their uncultivated land, collect normal taxes, appease their spirits, hire exiled laborers, and allow them to live a normal life without becoming bandits. We even open roads to protect the roads, drive away bandits, and maintain peace between the two places …"
"But to earn some profits and convenience in the process, what's wrong with that?"
Under Anker's coercion, the old baron nodded cooperatively, his face covered in tears and bruises. His expression was innocent.
The baroness became more and more unyielding as she spoke. She pointed with her hands on her hips.
"Towards your insatiable, ambitious, but untalented, shameless father, in order to stop him from going crazy, we were even more merciful. We delayed the investment, and treated it as if we had wasted it and fed it to the dogs … What's wrong with that?
"And now you've come to us, haven't you? And you still have the cheek to challenge us to a duel? "
Anker faced these accusations with an ugly expression, his breathing quickening.
"Lord Talon," Thales turned around and whispered to Vogel, "Just now, the Flag Bearer Division's intelligence on the Byrael family.
"Earlier, the Flag Bearer Division's intelligence on the Byrael family. Can I take a look?"
The vice-captain was taken aback. He clearly did not expect the duke to ask him.
But he only hesitated for a moment. Under Mallos' contemplative gaze, he summoned his subordinates and handed a stack of papers to Thales.
"Regarding the truth of these territories, you little brat who isn't home for ten months a year, this little young master whose food and clothing are all earned by his father …"
The baroness scowled and looked shrewish.
"Do you think you have the right to bark at us just because you've practiced swordsmanship overseas for two days, read two books, and slept with a few foreign girls?!"
"I, this …" Anker's lips twitched, unable to refute.
'Alright,' Thales thought to himself as he flipped through the intelligence. 'I've made a mistake.
In this hall, a woman who remains calm in the face of Iron Spike …
Perhaps not just that Lady Eleanor. '
But Thales frowned as he flipped through the papers.
No, the most that was written was where the Byrael family came from, how long its history was, how far its pedigree was, how big its territory was, how much it had changed, how many people there were in the family …
There were no details about territorial governance or the dispute between the two families.
There was no evidence to refute.
"You said you want to inherit your father's fief, family property, title and title?"
The baroness scoffed.
"Then why don't you f * cking inherit all the sins your father has committed against his vassals, his people, his neighbors, the kingdom, everyone, the sins he has accumulated, the evil he has done, the harm he has done, the lives he has owed, the blood he has stained!"
"Byrael's little brat!"
After the baroness screamed, she collapsed to the ground, drenched in sweat, and was held up by several female relatives.
Thales frowned.
The entire hall was silent.
It seemed that everyone was stunned by the baroness's performance.
Even Doyle's expression froze.
"Doyle, right?"
Vogel addressed Doyle by his nickname. He looked at the baroness in the middle of the hall with a complicated expression.
"Your father … married a good wife."
Doyle stared at his stepmother in a daze.
Glover was as expressionless as ever, but he pressed down on his shoulder from the side.
"You know," Doyle looked absent-minded, as if he was talking to himself.
"When my father wanted to remarry …
"All these years, my attitude towards her has not been very good."
Mallos did not say anything. He merely sighed softly.
But Thales was as solemn as ever.
He knew that it was not over.
A few seconds later, the hall was once again drowned in a torrent of discussion. Everyone was fiercely discussing the latest news that the baroness had just revealed.
Anker turned his head with difficulty and noticed that the guests' gazes had changed.
They began to look at him more.
At the son of the Byrael family.
No.
No!
Apart from panic, he was also a little embarrassed and angry.
"Listen up, little brat!"
Baroness Doyle caught her breath. As she watched the guests discuss among themselves, she became more confident and arrogant.
She did not care about her disheveled appearance and snorted coldly.
"I don't care whose connections you have, whose orders you have to harm our family! You have tarnished His Highness' reputation! "
The baroness pointed directly at the person holding her husband hostage and shouted angrily.
"But if you dare, go ahead and try!"
Anker shuddered violently!
Instead, the expression of old Baron Doyle, who was being held hostage, changed as he said in horror,
"That dear …"
The high-spirited baroness lowered her gaze and revealed a ruthless expression.
"Shut up!"
The old baron shuddered and obediently shut his mouth.
The baroness glared fiercely at the troubled Anker and gritted her teeth.
"But I swear, little brat of Byrael!"
"I swear to the setting sun, to the bright moon, to the dark night, to the Desert God, to my grandaunt, to everything!"
"If my husband suffers even the slightest bit of harm tonight!"
Her expression was vicious.
"I will give it my all for the rest of my life. I will make your remaining brothers, sisters, friends, and relatives suffer all the torture you can imagine in the most painful, cruel, and terrifying way!"
"I will make them cry in the end, begging me to kill them!"
As soon as she said that, everyone's expression changed!
Including Anker.
But the baroness apparently did not notice. Ignoring the old baron who was hurriedly signaling her with his eyes, she waved her arms and roared.
"I will make sure that your family line ends without descendants!"
"Just like the fate you were meant to have!"
The guests burst into an uproar.
Thales, Mallos, Vogel and the rest frowned.
Sh * t.
"As expected, when it comes to lying and quibbling, you're still the best."
The hesitation and anger on Anker's face faded, and he became cold again.
"Alright, if that's the case.
"Then let the gods decide our fate!"
In a fit of anger, he tightened his grip. The old baron screamed, "No, no, no —"
"Come on, coward son of Doyle!"
Anker stared straight at Doyle on the steps and roared.
"Come down and fight me. Let's put an end to this!
"Everything!"
The baroness stared at the rapidly deteriorating situation. She seemed to realize something and froze in place.
Doyle gripped the weapon at his waist tightly, feeling a mixture of shock and anger.
"It's too early."
Vogel looked at the public opinion around him, then at the enraged Anker, who was clearly ready to pay any price, and sighed.
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